Jennifer Becton's Blog, page 54

Absolute Liability around the Web

Absolute Liability has been available on ebook for 8 days. Watching a young book toddle on its own into the world is both exciting and scary, and my feelings have alternated between pride and horror. As I've said before, it isn't every occupation that allows literally anyone in the world to review the work done in that field in a public forum, so I'm always anxious at the responses of readers.

So far, I'm pleased to report that the response to Absolute Liability has been quite positive! Yay! Visit this page to read excerpts and to link to the full review.

Nancy Kelley at Austen Aspirations featured me and my genre-hopping tendencies in her post about Writing Cross-Genre. She asks whether or not it was a wise decision to try a new genre so soon in my career. I can only hope it was wise! But I'll tell you something for certain: it sure is fun! I loved writing Absolute Liability. It was a new challenge, and I really hope that this light, fun read will make people smile.

Also Jessica Melendez has very kindly offered to giveaway 5 free copies of Absolute Liability on ebook on her blog. Go here to enter!

The paperback edition of the book is in process. I made the dubious decision to use images as chapter heads and section breaks. This turned out to be a bit more complicated than I had hoped (I'll be blogging about that soon), but I'm glad I took the time and trouble to learn. I want readers to know that I take my business seriously and plan to give them as much value for their money as possible, and that means going above and beyond with design. The proof should be on my doorstep soon, and then the paperback will be live on Amazon, and as soon as I get the kinks out, it will go into expanded distribution and be available at BN and Books-a-Million, etc. You can now pre-order paperbacks here.

My accidental distribution of "Cancellation Notice" to BN has turned out to be a good thing. It is apparently being downloaded and read in large numbers, which is exciting. I am planning to redo the cover and make it available elsewhere too.

And don't forget my Ride 2 Recovery drive. Please visit the Southern Fraud Thriller website for details.

And the $.99 sale on Charlotte Collins ends next week, so hurry and buy now!

Independent Publishing and Independence Day

July 4 celebrates the United States' Declaration of Independence from England in 1776, setting this country on the path toward being the freest in the world.

For 235 years, the people of this country have enjoyed the freedom to pursue their own goals and dreams, and the members of our military have defended that freedom. My dream of becoming a writer was possible because of my freedom and thanks to those who defend it.

So allow me to introduce you to three members of my family who served in the US military:

Robert E. Whiteley

Robert E. Whiteley, my grandfather, was inducted in the US Army in 1941, just 19 days after he married my grandmother. Even though he had never fired a gun, he received the Expert medal on the 300-yard rifle range. He was then transferred to the US Army Air Corps (now the US Air Force) where he served in the Operations section of the 3rd scouting force, the Fighting Scouts, during World War II. He was stationed in the European theater and was discharged in 1945.

 

 

 

My Father

 

Robert B. Whiteley, my father, also served in the Air Force. He enlisted in 1969 after graduating from Sam Houston State College and served in the accounting department of the mortuary, which was where he met my mother. (Romantic, huh?) In August 1971, he was transferred to Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base, Republic of Vietnam, where he served until 1972. He was discharged in 1973 and received numerous awards and citations.

 

 

 

Ed Becton

Ed Becton, my father-in-law, participated in ROTC at Savannah High School and the University of Georgia and entered the US Army as a 2nd lieutenant. He was company commander at Ft. Jackson, SC, where he led a basic training company. He joined the US Army Reserves, where he taught at the Command and General Staff College and Officer Advance Courses for 12 years. During Vietnam, his aerial delivery company was held in reserve in case the Russians attacked Europe. He retired from the US Army Reserves as a lieutenant colonel (just two ranks before the generals).

 

Because of my thankfulness for the willingness of these–and all military members–for their decision to serve, I have decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from my novel Absolute Liability to Ride 2 Recovery, a 501c3 charity that benefits the physical and mental rehab of injured veterans through cycling.

So buy Absolute Liability on ebook for only $.99 from July 4-16, 2011 and

10 percent of all author's royalties during this time period will be donated to  Ride 2 Recovery to help wounded service members.
If Absolute Liability makes the Amazon Top 100 ebook list for even 1 hour, the donation will be increased to $500.
If the book cracks the Amazon Top 20, the donation will be further increased by $500, totaling $1,000 to help our wounded warriors.

And while you're enjoying the fireworks this year, please remember those who ensure your freedom to do so.

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Buy Absolute Liability Now

Amazon: Kindle

BN: Nook

Smashwords (any eBook format)

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What Else?

Please join me at Austen Authors to discover what other types of books your favorite sequel authors write.

Copyright Quiz

Don't let someone walk away with your work!

Many misconceptions exist about copyright. Take this quiz, and see how informed you are about this US government service that offers protection for writers throughout our country.

True or False?

Your book is not protected unless you have a copyright.
Mailing yourself a copy of your manuscript will provide the same protection as applying for a copyright.
You cannot publish your manuscript until you have your copyright certificate in hand.

They're all false.

Your work is protected the moment you write it. A copyright makes it easier to bring a lawsuit against someone who uses your material illegally.
The poor man's copyright is a total myth. It offers no more protection than doing nothing at all.
You don't have to wait to have the certificate. You can publish immediately. You can even publish without a copyright at all.

All information taken from the US Copyright office website.

Fraud Friday/Writing Fear Free Crossover

When I begin a new writing project, I make a mental list of aspects of the genre that I like and those that I don't like. The beginning steps of writing Absolute Liability were no different. I wanted to make sure I included what I liked and avoided what I did not like because, believe it or not, sometimes our pet peeves end up gracing our own pages!

So here is the list I came up with for the Southern Fraud Series.

Likes

Strong characters who are working to overcome something. I'm drawn to mysteries and thrillers because of their basic portrayal of the struggle between good and evil. I want to see people overcome.
Humor. I'm not talking over-the-top slapstick comedy, but I do like quirky characters, witty banter, and the occasional funny moment.
Romance. Again, I'm not talking over-the-top romance of the "he took her as only a man can take a woman" variety, but I do like to see relationships develop between characters.
Action. I want to see characters behave competently. If gun play is involved, I want it to be somewhat realistic. No people exploding into red mist or flying backward out windows because they were shot with a .22.
Suspense. I want to like my characters so much that when I put them in danger, I feel their fear too.

Dislikes

Uber-criminals. I'm talking about criminals that are almost inhuman in their ability to deceive and murder. I like a good nemesis, but there are other character types out there.
The explanation. The big reveal at the end of a mystery and the main character's explanation of the crime have become staples of the genre, but here's what's always bothered me. If the writer has to explain the whole plot of the novel, then did she really do a good job of showing the crime and investigation? Maybe some details need to be clarified, but if the crime has to be explained from start to finish in order to make it comprehensible, it seems a waste.
Gore. I don't mind a realistic description, but I can do without the gratuitous blood and guts.
The Interminable Series. The best thing Lost ever did was announce the number of seasons it intended to run. If writers don't have a set plan for the overall story arc of their series, it can begin to seem as if nothing that matters is ever going to happen. It gives the impression that the writer is just stringing along the viewer or reader. Not a fan.

So what do you like and dislike in thrillers and mysteries? Do they match mine?

June Book News

This is my blog, so I get to put my big news first. Absolute Liability is having its final cold reads, and ARCs have gone out to reviewers! The copyright application is in progress, and I'm about to start interior formatting and cover finalization. I plan to have it on the market by July 1.

After having published Charlotte Collins, I wondered how I would feel about book two. Would I be as excited and nervous as I was before?

The answer is yes. I am just as excited and nervous as before!

In other news:

J. K. Rowling has done something brilliant. For years, she refused to allow eBook versions of her Harry Potter books, making her one of the most pirated authors ever. Recently, she announced that she would self-publish them. Brilliant!
Summer has apparently brought a general slowdown to the book market. There's a lot of speculation going on about why and what this means for the eBook industry. Is the market saturated? Is the boom over? I don't think so. Everything, including paperback sales, seems to have slowed. It's not just eBooks. I think people are just out doing summer activities, not reading. I'm going to ride it out.
If you're an Austen sequel author, keep an eye on Mary Simonsen, Marilyn Brant, and Abigail Reynolds. They are all self-publishing now. Learn from their techniques.

4K

Today, Charlotte Collins sold its 4,000th copy! Thank you to everyone who has purchased the book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Things You've Probably Never Done in One Day

I've been trying to balance writing, editing, and fun time. Lately, I've been a bit heavy on the work side, so on Wednesday, I took advantage of the cool weather and went to the barn. As I drove our truck there, I began thinking about how lucky I am.

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of having my own horse, but I never believed it would come true. I lived in the suburbs, not the country, and my parents aren't really animal people. They weren't going to buy me one. But when I became an adult, I went out and purchased my own!

Buying Darcy, an Arab x Saddlebred mare, changed my life. I met so many fun and interesting horse people, and I get to do a lot of things that many people don't get to do–or don't want to do. Either way, on Wednesday, I ended up doing a whole bunch of strange things and I got pictures.

Are trucks supposed to hiss like that?

I got to the barn to discover that our truck was in the process of overheating and turning the engine into a large hunk of useless metal. Goody. So I opened the hood and left it like this to cool down.

Yikes. Time to trim.

Then, I discovered that Darcy's hoof has a big chip out of it, so I whipped out the trimming tools and spent an hour fixing all her hooves. This involves standing underneath the horse, literally, and filing her nails while she sleeps. (If you are a hoof trimmer, don't worry. I'm working on fixing the heel flares.)

Diva Darcy: "Where's my peppermint?"

Finally, I got the chance to ride my Darcy girl, which was the reason I'd come in the first place. I was exhausted after giving her the manicure, but I threw on her bareback pad and went to the outdoor arena. Even after a trim, she was like riding a Cadillac.

It's what's for dinner.

Here are a couple of Darcy's pasture "friends." She lives on a working cattle ranch. These cows go on to be dinner for many people, so I try not to form any attachments to them. Being a diva, Darcy believes that cattle are so very beneath her, so she doesn't have to worry about forming attachments to any of them.

I like the skulls and flames particularly.

So then I got back to the truck, and the barn hand and his friend watch me futilely fill the radiator while the water leaks out the bottom. I had a split hose. So the friend, whose name I never got because of a language barrier, offered to fix it AND gave me his car to drive to get the part I needed.

This very nice man fixed my truck, and I was able to drive home without destroying the vehicle, which made my husband very happy. I'm making browines for my rescuers as a thank you. Happiness is a warm brownie, right Nancy Kelley?

So in one day, I tried to destroy a truck, stood under a sleeping horse, rode the most beautiful creature in the world, stared down a steer, and drove a pimpy Mustang. I'll bet you've never done all that one day!

$0.99 Summer eBook Sale!

I've decided to put the eBook version of Charlotte Collins on a limited-time sale! So this morning I've been making the rounds to all my eBook sales channels and changing the price to only $0.99. It may take a few days for the price change to propagate throughout the various systems, so keep an eye out!

This is not only a great chance to get a book cheap, but I've been reading quite a bit about the benefits of putting an eBook on sale for a limited time. Konrath seems to get good results, but I've been hesitant to try this tactic because my book is in more of a niche market. But I'm feeling crazy enough to give it a whirl. I'll give you a full report on sales numbers at the end of the experiment.

Good or Fast?

I have a confession to make. I have overbooked myself (pun intended. Sorry.) When I originally scheduled the release of Caroline Bingley, I didn't foresee the tornado that put a major hold on my writing activities for the past six weeks. Today, I've had to face facts.

I could rush and get the book done by July 15, but I'd rather give myself more time and do it right. Here's the way the landscape looks right now.

I have until the end of next week to finish rewrites. Whoa.
The proofer would have 2 weeks to finish her job, which is really too close a deadline to demand. I'd like to have a month for that.
Then, I'd have 2 weeks to make corrections, format, and upload.
There is no way the paperback would be ready due to all the cover and interior checking required, but I could squeak out the ebook.
I probably wouldn't have time to reread the text before uploading.

I just can't do it that way. I feel like a failure for having to postpone the release, but it really came down to a question of quality. I can't let anything but my best work be published, and I cannot guarantee my best work at this pace. Besides, one of the benefits of self-publishing is flexibility, so I'm going to take advantage of that.

Due to the exact timing of the tornado, it looks like my thriller will actually come out before Caroline, which was not the plan at all. So, please accept my apologies for the delay, but I hope Caroline Bingley will be stronger thanks to the extra time.